Résumés & Professional Correspondence

Tailored Résumés

A résumé is an organized summary of your qualifications, goals, accomplishments, and interests. It should tell the reader what you have accomplished, as it relates to what you want to do. A résumé shows that you are prepared and qualified for a specific position or career field. It's important to tailor your résumé to each opportunity of interest.

On your résumé, every bullet point should start with a strong action verb. Use the Action Verbs for Engineershandout as a reference when writing your descriptions.

Objective Statements

Opinions differ among employers on the value of including a career objective. In general, an objective on your résumé can be helpful if it describes your immediate employment goal, but it is not an essential component of a successful résumé. An objective can be helpful if your résumé doesn't align with your career goals. You may prefer to incorporate an objective in a cover letter instead of on your résumé, especially if you want an employer to consider you for a range of positions.

If you decide to include an objective, specify the type of position you are seeking. If you have more than one career interest, prepare several résumés, tailoring them to different objectives. The following are three examples of effective objectives:

A position in financial services using well-developed research, analytical, and quantitative skills

A research position in healthcare, combining interests in policy and medicine

A position as a process engineer in the chemical industry utilizing strong design, analysis, and problem-solving skills

5 Tips to Craft an Effective Résumé

Tailored Cover Letters

The purpose of a cover letter is to express your interest in working for a specific organization and expand on the experiences and skills presented in your résumé. Tailor your cover letter to each position to which you apply. Your introductory paragraph is especially important because it is where you will explain your interest in working for a specific organization. To write a convincing introductory paragraph, you will need to research the organization and think about why you are genuinely interested in the work they do. Do not use generic language in your cover letter that could apply to any position and/or any company within your field of interest.

While not all applications require a cover letter, a well-written, tailored cover letter can strengthen your application and make you a more competitive candidate. Refer to the Cover Letter Guideto view sample cover letters for various industries.

Personal Portfolios

A portfolio is a way to display examples of your work and showcase your knowledge, skills, and accomplishments. It is also a great way to show your approach to a problem or your thought process. Some employers will require a portfolio as part of their application. There are many methods for creating a portfolio, and the options below are a few suggestions, not an exhaustive list.

Option One:
Create a slide deck on PowerPoint or Google Slides. For each project or work sample, include a slide or two with pictures/videos, followed by a couple of paragraphs summarizing the process and your learnings. Upload the slide deck and link it to your résumé, LinkedIn profile, website, etc.

Option Two:
Assemble your portfolio as a website using platforms such as SquareSpace, PortfolioBox, or Wix. These tools range in price and functionality. In selecting a template, use once that focuses on the content of your work. If you are including CAD renders and/or video animations, use rich, visual templates.

Option Three:
Use Digication, the ePortfolio tool supported by Cornell.

Option Four:
Upload your work samples into Google Drive or Dropbox. This option is not as immersive for the reader. Don't forget to provide context for each of your work samples/projects.

Additional Resources:
Cornell Computing and Information Science (CIS) offers several resources for creating an effective web portfolio. Visit their website and view the Personal Web Portfolios presentation (pdf) for tips and guidelines, and to see examples of portfolio designs.

Professional Correspondence

How you communicate with employers and alumni will leave an impression, make it a good one! Before reaching out, review our Professional Correspondence guidelines on how to communicate professionally and effectively. While we include sample text, your outreach should sound like you, so don't copy and paste. The guidelines include examples for how to request a deadline extension, negotiate an offer, accept or decline an offer, and request an informational interview.